Beijing plans to usher in about 50 million low-energy bulbs
in the first stage of the plan, phasing traditional
incandescent lighting out of the market, the Ministry of
Finance said in a statement on its website.

The lightbulb program is a showpiece of government efforts
to shift to a cleaner model of development, away from
pollution-belching factories that have blighted much of the
country's air and water.

As the maker of about 70 percent of the world's lightbulbs,
sweeping changes in China could also speed the disappearance of
incandescent lighting from ceilings and bedsides around the
world.

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If everyone in China made the switch in lighting, the
country would save energy equivalent to about a 60 million
tonne reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, the statement
said.

"This is the first time China has used financial subsidies
to support such wide consumption of energy-saving products and
it is an innovative use of financial subsidies," the finance
ministry added.

Subsidies will be indirect, with efficient bulbs sold to
consumers at a hefty discount and companies reimbursed by the
government for the shortfall, the statement said.

Individual shoppers will pay half of the price agreed by
manufacturers and the government, while businesses will pay
just 30 percent of that price. Beijing will also give
preference to the most efficient bulbs for government
procurement.

The government has already named 13 companies, including
the Zhejiang Sunshine Group, to produce the first batch of
lightbulbs, the statement added.

The European Union already applies anti-dumping duties on
imports of Chinese energy-saving light bulbs, charging up to
66.1 percent on bulbs from the country's manufacturers.